An
officer of the Nigerian Navy, Lt.-Cdr Olumide Adewale, has told the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that he helped his former boss,
Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to transport money, which was flown to Akure and
later handed over to Abiodun Agbele on the instructions of Governor Ayodele
Fayose of Ekiti State.

Adewale,
who was the Aide-de-Camp to Obanikoro when the latter was the Minister of State
for Defence, said this on Wednesday when he was grilled by detectives of the
EFCC.

According
to the anti-graft agency, the money was part of the N4.7bn that was paid into
Obanikoro’s sons’ company account, Sylvan McNamara, on the instructions of the
embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).

Adewale,
who was in charge of Obanikoro’s security for about a year, told the EFCC that
everything he did was under the strict instructions of his boss.

He
told investigators that on June 16, 2014, barely a week to the Ekiti State
governorship election, he, alongside Obanikoro, departed the ex-minister’s Park
View home in Ikoyi, Lagos, and headed for the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja,
Lagos.

The
naval officer told detectives that on getting to the airport, he met
Obanikoro’s son, Gbolahan. He said Gbolahan and the former minister had a brief
meeting after which a bullion van arrived at the private wing of the airport.

Adewale
told the EFCC operatives that Gbolahan then directed some men at the airport to
offload the money from the bullion van and load it unto the aircraft.

The
entire activity was said to have been captured on CCTV.

A
detective of the anti-graft agency quoted Adewale as saying, “The flight was
delayed for about an hour. Later, a bullion van pulled into the hangar where
the chartered flight was.

Shortly after, Gbolahan ensured that some bags were
offloaded unto the plane. I later boarded the flight with Obanikoro and his
friend, Dr. Tunde Oshinowo (a PDP chieftain and a mutual friend of Obanikoro
and Fayose).”

The
EFCC detectives said that on getting to the Akure airport, Obanikoro was
welcomed by Mr. Abiodun Agbele, Fayose’s ally, who had since been arrested by
the commission.

Adewale
confirmed that Obanikoro was welcomed at the airport by a politician.

He
told investigators that he did not know the name of the person but could
recognise the person.

The
naval man was further quoted as saying, “On arrival at Akure, the minister had
a discussion with political friends. A bullion van was driven to the tarmac.
The bags were offloaded unto the bullion van and the minister directed that we
escort the van to a Zenith Bank branch in Akure.

“On
arrival, the bags were offloaded by bank workers under the supervision of a
civilian who had come to meet the minister at the Akure airport. I don’t know
the man facially but I can recognise him.”